Door-check.



No. 655,!07. Patented luly 3|, |900.

F. H. OGDEN.

D 0 R C H E C K.

(Application med Qqt. 1e, 1899.)

(nu Model.) 2 smets--sheetk WITNESSES: rb INVENTOR ATTORNEYS m: camsPmns cc. wom-uws., wAsmNcron, n. c.

No. 655,|07. Patented .luly 3|, |900.

F. H. UGDEN.

DOOR CHECK.

(Application med oct. 1e, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wnNEssEs:

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES *PAT-ENT EEIQE.

EEEDERrcK n. oeDEN, 0E NEWARK, NEW JERsEY, AssIeNoE oF oNE- HALE r.ro`HENRY ILL; f QE SAME PLACE.

.Y -sPEerErcAcr'roN' forming parier Letters ra/ent N6. 655,107', datedJuly e1, 1900.

" Application md octot'er 16.1599. sanita. 733,705. (Nomad.)

To all whom,` tm/cry concern.'v

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. GGDEN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county ofEssex and State'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Door Checks and Closersg and I do hereby declare thefollowin'gto be a full, clear7 and exact descriptionof the inve'nl tion,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and 'use the same. My invention relates to improvements indoor-checks.

My invention consists in the novel means employed for operating thepiston of the doorcheck, whereby the check may be applied either toarighthand door or to a left-hand door without opening vthe checkandwhereby the check offersuno resistance other than that of springtension'to swinging the door wide open and instantly begins to retardthe motion of the door from `whatever position theV door may start toclose,thereby avoiding' shock to the mechanism of the check and strainto the doorand hinges. V

The objects of my invention are to, avoid` the necessity ofopening thecheckto change` it from adjustment for a right-hand ,door to' adjustment for a Vleft-hand door, or `vice versa, to prevent thecheckfromoffering resistance to swinging the door wide open,and to pre'- ventundue and sudden strain to the mechanism of the check and to the doorand its hinges. These objects are attained in' the door-check hereindescribed, and illustrated in the drawings: which accompany and form apart of this specification, in which the same reference-numeralsindicate the same or corresponding parts, andin which- Figure 1` showsa'central vertical section of my improved door-check, taken on a planeat right ,angles to the eccentric-shaft. Fig. 2 shows a central verticalsection of the doorcheck, taken on a plane at right angles to that ofFig. 1. Figs. 3 andtare detail views showing the arrangement of thesprings, Fig. 3 being a vertical section, and Fig. 4 a top View showinghalf of the upper spring broken away; and Fig. 5 is an elevation andpartial sect-ion of the check, showing the use of a .yoke instead of aneccentric-strap for transy mitting motion to thepiston.

In the drawings, 1O'is`` the 4main casing of the check.

15 `isfa central shaft or spindle, to which is attached a leverVA 14,which is one ofthe two 'hinged levers by which the spindles ofdoorchecks are' cnstomarily connected to Aa doorfranie.'

The casing 10 is divided' internally into an upper or spring chamber 16,within which are the springs 17 and 172, and a lower chamber 18, in theupper portion of which are gears, a cam-shaft, and a cam or eccentricand eccentric-strap or equivalentdevice for operating the piston. `Thelower portion of the chamber18,the workin g cylinder proper, contains avertically-movable piston20.

In theform of check shown in Figs. 1 and 2 motion is `communicated fromthe spindle 15 to the piston 20`by`th`e' following means: A `cam-.shaft24 is`rotatably mounted in lugs 30', depending from a plate30,separating the `chambers 16 and 18, and is at right angles to theaXisof spindle V15. Upon the lowerend ofV spindle 15 is abevel-gear26,"and upon'the `shaft 24is a larger gear 25,intermeshingwith gear 2,6. Uponshaft 24. is an eccentric 23, vtheeccentric-strap22 of which is pivotally'connected to lugs on thepiston20.

In the form of check shown in Fig. 5 the eccentric orcam 23 lies withina y'oke 22', rigidly connected to Vthe piston 2O and guided by ribslO,projecting from the casing 10.1f This construction isthe substantialequivalent of that shown in Figs. land 2. `l

In the piston is a check-valve 4.1; which opens when the piston movesupward, permitting free passage of liquid from above the piston to belowthe same." The piston `is also provided with a leakage-passage 36,arranged to be partly or completely closed by a screw valve-plug?,uponthe end voffwhich'is a spur-wheel 3S, adapted to mesh with apinionrod 39, which passes through the bottom of the casing of the checkand has upon its end the cylinder the Valve 37 may be opened or.

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closed, as desired.

When the length of the toggle-levers by which the check is operated iscorrect or is that which is usual, the eccentric or cam is on itsdead-center when the door is in its closed position. Therefore inwhichever direction the spindle'l and the shaft 24 be rotatedthe pistonwill be raised.V As here-- inafter described, under certain conditionsthe length of one of the toggle-levers may be changed from this normaladjustmentin order that the checking action of the piston may ceaseslightly before the door is closed; but in any case, whether the checkbe `attached to a right-hand door or to ,a left-hand door, thepiston'will be raised whenthedoor is opened.

the door is swung wide open and is as nearly as possible back againstthe wall the motion of the piston is reversed before the door reachesthe limit of its swing. The doorcheck,.therefore, may and frequentlydoes actually resist the movement of the door through the last Vfewdegrees of its swing.`

This is objectionable, both because of the resistance thus offered andbecause when the door is .released after havingbeen opened widely it ispermitted to move Without restraint fora considerable distance, andthereby to acquire considerable momentum before the checking actionbegins.

The result is that when the check does begin to act a sudden and severestrain is imposed upon the` mechanism ofthe check and upon the door andits hiuges,'with theresult that the mechanism of the check is oftenbroken or injured,

and the hinges are often strained ortheir screws torn from the wood. Thepremature reversal of the motion of the piston is due to the `fact thatthe toggle-levers by which the check ,is operated as the door swingsmultiply "the angular movement ofthe door. so

causing kthe spindle of the check to'rotate through a greater Vanglethan that through` whichthe door swings, so that if the door bey openedwidely the spindle of the checkmay be rotated through an angle greaterthan one hundred and Aeighty degrees. In this check,

however, the `spindle is connected to the horir zontal shaft carryingthe eccentric by reducing-gearing, and the eccentric-being arranged toswing through about one "hundred and eighty degrees before the motion ofVthe piston is reversedtunlessin the meantime the motion of the spindle15 be also reversed)rno` such vreversal of motion of the piston as willchecljthe further opening of the door or permit the door to closewithout restraint for a considerable distance may take place.restraining action of the check begins immet l5. In most liquid checksheretofore used when The are imposed either upon its mechanism or' uponthe door and its hinges.

In former checks it has been customary to employ but a single spring,and in order to adapt the check for use on a left-hand door when it isalready adjusted for a right-hand door-,or vice versa, it has `beennecessary to remove the cover to the spring-chamber and reverse thespring. In my check, however, I employ two springs 17 and 172, which areoppositely placed. One end of each of these springs engages a side of agroove 34 in the side of the chamber 16, and the other end of eachspring engages a lug 33, projecting from the bushing 32, `whichsurrounds the spindle This bushing is provided at the top with a iiangedheadhaving ratchet-teeth adapted to be engaged bya pawl 43 on thelever14, as is customary. It will beseen that with this arrangement invWhichever direction the bushing 32 is rot-ated one of the springs 17 or172 is brought under tension, whiletheend of the other spring remainsstationary, the bushing 32 slipping idly past it.

The operation of. my check is .as follows: When the door is opened, nomatter whether the spindle 15`be rotated to the right vor to the left,the piston is caused to rise, the checkvalve 4l permitting the freepassage of .the fluid from above the 'pistonto below-it, and at the sametime one of the springs is wound up. When the door is releasedandlbegins to close again under the-action of that spring which is undertension, .the piston :moves downward, the check-valve 4l closing, andthe door can close onlyas rap-idly asispermitted bythe `escape ofiluidfrom-thefspace beneath the piston through the leakage-opening 36.When the door has almost closed, the eccentric has almostreacheditsdead-center, and therefore thev check-at suchpoint oerscomparatively little .resistance Ato. `the closing of the door, ,thuspermittingthespring to overcome the friction ofthe Alock ofthe door. Ifdesired, the check may beso adjusted that when the door is closed theeccentric is not precisely .atits dead-center, but has passed thedead-center slightly.. s Inusuch case the piston begins to moveupwardngjust before the door is completely closed., thusentirelystoppingthe checking action and leaving the entire Vforce of-thespringavzailable to overcome; the friction of the lock.--T-his`adjustment `may be made by adjusting-the length of the adjustabletoggle-lever by which the check is connected tothe door-frame,one voahe toggle-levers being customarily adjust- .a e' i A ,t InorderYV to adapt this check from adjustment fora right-hand door to adjustmentfor a left-hand door, or vice versa, itis necessary :merely 'toreverse the pawl 43and to rotate the bushing 32 by meansof a .key in thecustomary manner in ythe direction in whichsaid bushngw'illbe rotatedVwhen V'the door lis vopened to .theextent `which'is necessary in ICOIIO

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order to place the springunder the desired initial tension. Y

I do not limit myself to the use of two oppositely-arranged springs, asshown in the accompanying drawings, but may use instead a single spring,as has been customary heretofore, the spring being reversed when it isdesired to adapt the check for a door opening in a different directionfrom that for which the check is already adjusted.

I regard the construction shown in Figs. l and 2, in which an eccentricand eccentricstrap are employed, and the construction shown in Fig. 5,in which an eccentric cam and yoke are employed for operating thepiston, as equivalent constructions, and in th,e following claims employthe term cam to include both the cam proper, such as shown in Fig. 5,and the eccentric shown in Figs. 1

and 2, it being well recognized that an eccentric is as truly a cam asit is a crank.

Having thus completely described my invention, what I claim, and des-ireto secure by Letters Patent, is,n

1. In a door-check, Athe combination, with a vertical working cylinder,a vertically-movable piston therein, and a vertical spindle mounted tobe rotated, and connections between the door and spindle to rotate thelatter when the door swings, of mechanism driven from said spindle totransmit the motion thereof to the piston, said mechanism comprising acam, reducinggearing to transthe door swings,`of a shaftV arranged atright angles to the axes of the cylinder and 'spindle, reducing-gearingconnecting the spindle and shaft, an eccentric on the shaft, and adevice connected to the piston and movable by the eccentric to transmitmovement from the latter to the piston, the arrangement and proportionof said parts being such that the eccentric will be at a dead-centerwhen the piston is at either limit of its travel, whereby the piston hasa substantially-continuous motion in one direction during the, openingor closing movement of the door.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af' fixed my signature in thepresence of two witnesses.

' FREDERICK H. OGDEN'. Witnesses: E. M. MARBLE, H. M. MARBLE,

